Method of making footwear soles

ABSTRACT

A method of making soles for shoes wherein the soles are cut from extruded material in strip form having a plurality of integrated cylinders extinding transversely of the strip. A relatively thick heel portion is extruded as part of the strip.

United States Patent Chevallereau 1 1Marci1 13, 1973 METHOD OF MAKINGFOOTWEAR [56] References Cited SOLES UNITED STATES PATENTS [75]lnventor: Jacques Chevallereau, Juv1sy1 Sur orge, France 2,983,0565/1961 Murgwski ..36/32 R 2,928,192 3/1960 Green 4 .36/32 R [73]Asslgneei E15 Pamzky Mauleon-swle 2,100,492 11/1937 Sindler ..36/29France 3,129,520 4/1964 Funck ..36/28 [22] Filed: April 13, 1971 PrimaryExaminer-Patrick D. Lawson [21], Appl l33628 Att0rneyBrenner, OBrien,Guay & Connors [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACTApril 20, 1970 France 7014152 A method of making soles for shoes whereinthe soles are cut from extruded material in strip form having a [52]U.S. Cl ..12/l46 B, 36/32 R l lit of integrated cylinders extindingtransversely [51] Int. Cl. ..A43d A43b 13/04 of the Strip. A relativelythick heel portion is extruded [58] Field of Search ..36/1 1.5, 25 R,28, 29, 32 R; as part f the Strip 3 Claims, 3 Drawing FiguresPATENTEDHAR 1 31975 SHEET 1 BF 2 VII/4% INVENTOR JACQUES CHEVALLEREAUATTORNEYS PATENTEDMARI 3 I973 SHEET 2 0F 2 INVENTOR JACQUES CHEVALLEREAUATTORNEYS METHOD OF MAKING FOOTWEAR SOLES This invention relates tofootwear, and particularly to footwear soles of synthetic material, andto processes for making such soles.

Soles of synthetic material, especially those of synthetic rubber, havebeen known for a long time. According to most current manufacturingtechniques each sole is moulded individually. A more rudimentarytechnique also exists, in which soles of synthetic material are made bycutting them out of a sheet of practically uniform thickness.

It has also been suggested for some time to provide cavities in soles ofsynthetic material, with the essential object of giving them greaterflexibility, in particular in the portion corresponding to the sole ofthe foot, and to give greater comfort to the wearer. It is traditionalto provide ribs or other relieving on the portion of the sole whichrests upon the ground with the essential object of producing a non-skidsole.

In accordance with the invention, a footwear sole is made from a singlepiece of synthetic material and includes a number of cylindrical,transversal tubular elements extending from one side of the sole to theother.

The word cylindrical as used herein is to be understood in its widestsense as meaning a surface generated by a straight line, the so-calledgeneratrix, which moves, always remaining parallel to itself, in anycurve whatever, the so-called guiding curve. Thus, the tubular elementsin accordance with the invention can have any section, as for examplethat of a circle, an ellipse, a polygon or a curved polygon.

Experience has shown that such tubular elements may be used veryadvantageously to bestow upon the sole truly remarkable flexibilityqualities. In particular, such a sole presents excellent anti-vibratoryproperties, which renders it particularly appropriate for working andsafety boots. Furthermore, the arrangement of the tubular elements,which are provided advantageously with ribs, gives it also improvednon-skid properties.

The soles in accordance with the invention are preferably made byextrusion of a strip of synthetic material including, parallel to theaxis of extrusion, a number of the tubular elements, this strip beingsubsequently cut out, as by means of the hollow punch, to produceindividual soles, the length of the soles being in the direction of thewidth of the strip.

The invention will be more readily understood by way of example from thefollowing description of a footwear sole in accordance therewith,reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows the extruded strip as viewed from underneath,

FIG. 2 is a section on the line IIII of FIG. 1, i.e. perpendicularly tothe axis of extrusion,

FIG. 3 shows a shoe incorporating a sole made by cutting out from thestrip of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The sole is preferably made of synthetic rubber, but more generally itmay be made from any material capable of being extruded whilstpossessing the mechanical qualities which render it suitable to form asole.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the extruded strip from which the shoes are made. Ascan be seen in FIG. 2, this strip presents in section a profile whichhas the general shape of a sole with a planar upper surface 10. On theunderside, the sole is formed with an extra thickness 11 which, with twotubular elements 12 and 13 constitutes a heel. In the central portion,there IS a slender bridging zone 14. At the other side, there are anumber of tubular elements 15 and a slender end zone 16. All the tubularelements 12, 13 and 15 extend parallel to the direction of extrusion E.Preferably, as shown, all the elements are provided on their faceopposite the surface 10, with small auxiliary non-skid ribs.

The sole is shown in FIG. 3 with the shoe in which it is incorporated.The sole is obtained by cutting it out of the extruded strip B, thelength of the sole being in the direction of the width of the strip andthe central axis of the sole therefore being practically perpendicularto the direction of extrusion.

It will be understood that the sole represented in FIG. 3 is only oneexample among the very numerous possible variants and that, moreover,this sole, as represented, also presents a certain number ofcharacteristics of an aesthetic nature which do not form part of theinvention.

The new structure of sole presents excellent antivibratory properties.It is by virtue of this fact particularly suitable for use in workingboots, and notably in special footwear for those working in environmentssubjected to numerous industrial vibrations, for example personnelworking on airport runways or building workers who are in charge ofpneumatic drilling machines.

The transversal arrangement of the tubular elements is then alsoparticularly advantageous. It may be mentioned that these tubularelements may be utilized for joining in a simple manner the upper partof the shoe to the sole, for example by passing thin straps throughthem.

It will be noted that the new structure and the extrusion process forits manufacture are practically inseparable, the extrusion, never beforeused for making soles, being the only technique which allows at thepresent time readily to obtain the new sole structure.

I claim:

1. A method of making footwear soles, said soles including transversecylindrical elements extending from one side of each sole to the other,comprising the steps of extruding a long unitary sole-strip having asection substantially corresponding to the desired sole profile andincluding a plurality of integrated cylinders extending in the extrusiondirection, and cutting the soles from said strip in such a way saidcylinders are out transversally to form said sole transverse cylindricalelements.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein a relatively thick heel elementis extruded with the other parts of the sole.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said cylindrical elements aretubular in form.

1. A method of making footwear soles, said soles including transversecylindrical elements extending from one side of each sole to the other,comprising the steps of extruding a long unitary sole-strip having asection substantially corresponding to the desired sole profile andincluding a plurality of integrated cylinders extending in the extrusiondirection, and cutting the soles from said strip in such a way saidcylinders are out transversally to form said sole transverse cylindricalelements.
 1. A method of making footwear soles, said soles includingtransverse cylindrical elements extending from one side of each sole tothe other, comprising the steps of extruding a long unitary sole-striphaving a section substantially corresponding to the desired sole profileand including a plurality of integrated cylinders extending in theextrusion direction, and cutting the soles from said strip in such a waysaid cylinders are out transversally to form said sole transversecylindrical elements.
 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein arelatively thick heel element is extruded with the other parts of thesole.